Information for Violin Sellers

Sell My Violin is a part of TAF Music, a web-based system designed to help musicians sell and buy second hand musical instruments. You may place an advertisement to sell your used violin, other used musical instruments or used printed music through this site with relative ease. Please browse through the details below or go directly to either the registration or log in pages to place your ad.

We have tried to make the process of advertising used musical instruments and printed music for sale through Sell My Violin as easy, safe and cost-effective as possible. The site aims to keep used musical instruments and printed sheet music in circulation.

So that you don't have to plough through a huge block of text, we have created a list of the most commonly asked questions with an answer. Please click on a relevant question to see the answer.

What does it cost to advertise?

Used musical instruments can be advertised for sale from as little as £0.50 while used printed or sheet music advertisements start at £0.25.

We realise that some instruments are quite specialised and may take a while to sell so advertisements are currently displayed for up to one year or until you mark the item as sold.

Your advertisement will also be displayed at no additional cost on our parent website TAF Music while it is listed on Sell My Violin, doubling your chances of a successful sale!

How will people find my ad and what should my ad contain?

The more details you give, the easier it is for others to understand what you are selling. The system allows you to add up to 4 photographs of the instrument and gives plenty of room for a text description. Try to describe the instrument with as much detail as possible and give it a title that will catch a potential buyer's attention - "Quality Intermediate Violin" will get more views than a page entitled just "Violin".

When your advertisement is posted, we automatically inform the major search engines of the new item. We can't guarantee that you will find it on Google, Yahoo!, Bing or other search engines (no one can guarantee that) but we try our best to get the widest exposure possible (some of our instruments have made it as high as number 2 on Google for quite generic search terms so we think we do quite well in this area). Search engines like to read words so the more you describe your instrument, the more likely potential buyers are to find your ad.

Your advertisement will also be displayed at no additional cost on our parent website TAF Music while it is listed on Sell My Violin, doubling your chances of a successful sale!

Do I need to register to advertise through Sell My Violin?

Yes - you need to go through a very simple registration process.

Will my personal details be shown on the site?

No - Sell My Violin rates personal privacy very highly and no personally identifiable details are shown on the musical instrument or printed music pages. We hate receiving unsolicited emails and have designed the site to prevent spammers from harvesting email addresses.

To allow users to locate an instrument that is within a reasonable travel distance, the first part of your post code and county will be displayed on the item detail page (e.g. HR1 xxx Herefordshire).

How will potential buyers contact me?

The Sell My Violin site has a built-in messaging system. A potential buyer can contact you by clicking on the "Contact Seller" button on the item page. This will send you an email with the buyer's question. Your email address is not revealed to the potential buyer using the contact seller link.

You may respond to the message either through Sell My Violin's messaging system, where you may choose to withhold your email address, or directly using your email program (where your email address will always be shown to the recpient).

What can I advertise?

You can advertise used musical instruments or used printed music / sheet music for sale on this website. As we are British-focused website, we can currently only accept ads for instruments that are in the UK and available within the UK. This site is designed to help you find a new home for musical instruments and sheet music that you no longer require.

Can I advertise a new instrument?

No - selling new instruments is what keeps your local music shop alive! A used instrument is one that has been bought from a retailer at some point in it's life (if your granny gave you a tuba for Christmas and you've never played it, we'd consider this to be "used").

Can you tell me how much my instrument is worth?

Unfortunately, we cannot help you value your instrument. In our experience, a local music shop or auctioneer will often be very helpful in helping you find the value of an instrument. We list instruments that have been sold recently on the site so you can look for a similar instrument to give you an idea of what people are willing to pay.

The Sell My Violin system allows you to set a selling price and allow potential buyers to make an offer (which you can accept or reject). This way you can let the market set the price for you.

Will Sell My Violin buy my violin off me?

No! We are not in a position to buy your instrument off you. Sell My Violin is not a music shop, but we run this website for you to advertise your used instruments and used printed music for sale.

How do I get paid?

Sell My Violin just provides a place for you to advertise your used musical instrument or used printed music. We do not get involved in the transaction.

To make your life easier, we have provided links for you to:

allow a buyer to pay you directly through your PayPal account (if you have a PayPal account)

issue an invoice to a potential buyer so they can send you a cheque

or you can use the traditional "cash on collection" method.(make sure you issue a receipt to the buyer when accepting cash or a cheque)

What do I do when the instrument or sheet music is sold?

If you accept payment by PayPal, and the buyer pays you using the PayPal link on the Sell My Violin website, the instrument will automatically be marked as sold on the site. You will also receive an email from Sell My Violin and PayPal confirming the sale.

If you sell your item using any other method (either through Sell My Violin or outside), please log on to your Sell My Violin account and mark the item as sold. The item will continue to be displayed until at least the end of the current month but will be marked as sold. A sold item will not have payment links displayed but will retain the "contact seller" link.

If the item is to be sent by post or courier, you should:

Ensure the item is well packed and protected against possible damage in transit. Wrap the outside of the package in a protective layer such as bubble wrap and enclose it in a secure outer wrapper (a bin bag or wall paper (glue free) is useful for this)

Ensure the address is clearly displayed.

Check that the service you use offers sufficient compensation should anything happen in transit.

Make sure you get a receipt or proof of posting certificate from the Post Office or courier when sending the item.

Loosen the strings on your instrument before shipping to reduce the chance of damage during transit.

How do I know if anyone has looked at my ad?

When you log in to the Sell My Violin control panel, you can view current, sold and expired listings - with each item showing how many times it has been viewed.

What are the Terms and Conditions for advertsing on the site?

All users of this website are coverd by the terms and conditions. The terms and conditions that apply specifically to advertisers are listed below:

You will only place advertisements for used musical instruments, used printed music, music-related accessories or other items that may be specifically allowed from time to time on the website.

Each advertisement placed must be for only one specific item.

You warrant that you have legal title to the item or specific permission of the owner to sell the item or advertise the item for sale.

You warrant that, to the best of your knowledge, any item offered for sale through this website is genuine and not an unauthorised copy of the item.

You will describe any items advertised on the Sell My Violin and TAF Music websites as honestly and completely as possible to give potential buyers a fair and complete understanding of the used musical instrument or used printed music.

You will provide a fair and realistic estimate of the market value for the item advertised.

You will charge a fair and realistic amount for shipping and handling which must be directly related to costs incurred in preparing the item for shipping and the cost of delivery.

Both the seller of the item and the item itself must be within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including Channel Islands and other Offshore Islands that make up the UK while the item is advertised on the the Sell My Violin and TAF Music websites.

You will not place a link to any external website or upload text or image(s) that deliberately advertises a business, event or anything outside of TAF Music.

Upon completion of a successfully financial transaction, you will deliver the item to a successful buyer in a timely manner.

You will mark an item as sold or unavailable so as to remove the item from the listings on the Sell My Violin and TAF Music website once an item is sold or is otherwise no longer offered for sale through the website.

The best way to contact Sell My Violin is to use the form on the Contact page. We will respond to all genuine queries as quickly as possible. Other contact details may also be found on the contact page.